Learning to Breathe
by LanaLang79
Summary: Just as it seemed like life was perfect, tragedy strikes. Wanting to keep the promise he made to his friend as he slipped away, Ryan will do whatever it takes to make sure Gabriella is safe and cared for. But what exactly will it take to do that? Ryella!
1. Prologue

**_DISCLAIMER: _**

_**I do not own High School Musical or any of it's characters, content, storylines, people, or places.**_

**_This disclaimer goes for all chapters of this story!_**

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**LEARNING TO BREATHE**

**Prologue:  
**Gabriella's eyes sparkled with tears as she stood in the doorway that led into her living room. There it was, the perfect Christmas tree. Or so Troy had said. The colored lights wrapped around the prickly green branches and nestled deep into the heart of the tree. Ornaments that both she and Troy had made when they were children decorated the tree along with some of their newer ones, filling Gabriella's head with unwanted memories. Sure she wanted to remember Troy, but she hated the ache that rested in her heart every time she did. She couldn't believe that it had only been three weeks ago that they stood in front of that same Christmas tree and admired their handiwork. It felt more like three years. But she could still remember the smile that had lit his face when he had carried the big, pine plant into their house and settled it in the corner of their living room.

She had imagined sitting in front of their tree and telling Troy the good news. There had been so many times when Gabriella guessed that her husband had wanted to hear that news, but she hadn't gotten the chance to give it to him.

Gabriella suddenly broke, her sobs shaking her small body as she laid her hand against her only slightly bulged stomach. She had no idea how she would ever survive life without her husband. They were supposed to have a big family together. She remembered how they had chuckled over the thought of them sitting in rocking chairs in front of their fireplace when they were in their eighties. How could things have turned to bad so quickly? She didn't understand why it had to be Troy that was killed. They were so happy together and Troy had been the perfect man. He didn't deserve to die the way that he had.

She sank to the floor, continuing to cry as memories of that awful day flooded her brain. They came in quick flashes and she felt trapped in the pain of each minute that led to the most tragic moment of her life. The moment when Ryan stood in her doorway and said, "There's something I have to tell you." She remembered the long pause, the way he couldn't seem to meet her gaze. Then she recalled the words that she feared would haunt her for the rest of her life. "Troy's dead, Gabriella."

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Short, I know, but it was just a prologue. Anyway, this story first came into my mind as a songfic with the song "Not This Year" by Aly & AJ, but then I decided to make it a complete story. I hope that ya'll will enjoy it, cause I'm really excited about this one!!

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

-LanaLang79


	2. Chapter One

**Thanks for all of the AWESOME feedback everyone!! I appreciated each and every review!! And I hope that ya'll like this chapter!!**

**Enjoy!!**

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****Chapter one:  
**Gabriella raised one eyebrow at her husband, playful suspicion written across her pretty face. "Why won't you tell me where you're going?" she sat down on the edge of their king sized bed, watching as Troy rummaged through his sock door, obviously in search of his favorite pair. 

Troy glanced at Gabriella out of the corner of his eye. "I did tell you where I'm going. Shopping with Ryan," he stated, shrugging nonchalantly.

"But you won't tell me where you're going shopping with Ryan."

"Honey, Christmas is two weeks away. Did it ever occur to you that I just might be buying you a Christmas present?" Troy sat down next to her, pulling the dark colored socks over his feet.

"Yes, that did occur to me, but you could still tell me where you're going. The mall, Wal-Mart….." she turned to him, a smile tugging at her lips, "the jewelry store."

"Now, Gabriella Bolton, if you don't stop guessing, you won't find any Christmas presents for you under our Christmas tree this year." Troy tried to make his voice sound strict, but the twinkle in his eyes gave away the fact that he was teasing her.

"All right, I'll quit asking you," Gabriella said, sighing in defeat.

Troy got to his feet and turned to face her. "That's all I ask." Smiling, he leaned down and claimed her lips with his in a soft kiss.

When he started to pull away, Gabriella wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down, kissing him again.

"I'll be back," Troy whispered in her ear, causing her to giggle lightly. Walking towards the bedroom door, he called, "I love you" over his shoulder.

"Love you too." Gabriella watched her husband disappear from view before getting to her feet.

Downstairs she stopped to look at her and Troy's wedding picture. Both of their faces were lit with smiles that appeared to be spread from ear to ear. Troy stood behind Gabriella with his arms wrapped around her petite waist while she leaned her head against his chest. Her hair fell in dark ribbon curls past her shoulders and stopping just above her elbows. The look in her eyes showed pure contentment, just the way she was feeling today. She had the perfect husband who she was expecting her first baby with, unknown to him.

The corners of her mouth turned up as an idea came to mind. Going to the kitchen, she pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and sat down. Gabriella wrote down two words and her heart fluttered at the thought of it. She ran her hand over her stomach. _I'm pregnant._

Quickly getting a box two feet high and two feet wide, she put the piece of paper at the bottom and filled the box the rest of the way with a bunch of Christmas colored tissue paper. Satisfied with her plan, she wrapped the present, put a name tag on it and addressed it to Troy. Gabriella couldn't wait to see her husband's expression when he found her little note in the box. This was going to be the best Christmas she had ever had.

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Ryan studied the pieces of jewelry that lined the inside of the glass cases. Troy had asked him to help pick out something for Gabriella for Christmas, because he knew that Ryan had bought several things for Sharpay throughout the years. Ryan thought of his sister that lived all the way across the country in New York. He had been proud of her for becoming a Broadway star, but he missed his twin dearly. When she left, she had suggested that he come with her, but he knew that his home would always be in Albuquerque. That's where he fit in; where he belonged. But, he did feel like his sister was growing up and moving on without him, especially since she had met her boyfriend, Marc. Ryan had to admit that he was a nice guy and that he was good for Sharpay, but even thousands of miles away, he still felt like a third wheel. Sharpay had Marc, Chad had Taylor, Kelsi had Jason, and Troy had Gabriella. He couldn't help but feel like he would remain a bachelor for the rest of his life.

Sighing, he continued to scan the expensive items to find one that reminded him of Gabriella. Elegantly beautiful, subtle in a way that made her stand out, strong, peaceful…..Suddenly, there it was! Ryan motioned to Troy and his friend hurried to his side.

"Did you find something?" Troy's voice was filled with a slight urgency, making it seem like the world would end if he didn't find the perfect thing for his wife.

Ryan smiled. "I think so." He pointed to a gold necklace with a single, but beautiful, pearl hanging delicately from the chain. "How about that?"

Troy stared at it for several seconds and then his lips began to curve upward. "It's perfect." He got a clerk to assist them, so he could get a better look at the necklace and then he nodded enthusiastically. "I'll take this one."

The clerk's smile was polite and she took the necklace back from Troy. "I'll ring it up. Would you like it gift wrapped, sir?"

Another nod. "Yes, thank you."

"All right, I'll back in a few minutes."

Troy turned to Ryan. "Thanks for helping me find that. I really didn't know what kind of jewelry I should get her. I wanted it to be something unique," he looked down, a blush creeping into his cheeks, "just like her."

"Gabriella would have been happy with whatever you got her, but I think she'll love the necklace."

Troy looked back up. "How did it catch your eye?"

"I was just looking for something that reminded me of her. The pearl caught my eye because it was so….." he searched for the right word.

Troy had a faraway look in his eyes as he finished Ryan's sentence. "Beautiful."

Ryan gave a nod in agreement, a longing welling up in his heart. He wanted a wife of his own that he could cherish the way that Troy did Gabriella. Would he ever get that?

The clerk returned, carrying a small wrapped box in her hand. "Here you are, sir."

She named the price of the necklace and Ryan had to struggle to keep his eyes from bulging from his head. It was a good thing that Troy made good many at his job. Troy wrote out a check and exchanged it for the gift.

"Thank you," Troy said, excitement clear in the tone of his voice. He stepped in the direction of the door just as it flew open.

The next chain of events happened so quickly that Ryan barely realized what was happening. Guns went off, people screamed, glass shattered. Then time went into slow motion as he saw Troy falter. Hurrying forward, he caught his friend and they both sank to the ground. Blood flowed from a bad bullet wound to Troy's left shoulder. He had been hit. Ryan looked up to catch a glimpse at the assailant, but the two men that had entered both wore masks shielding their faces from sight. He quickly observed the scene. There were about two other people who appeared to be wounded from the bullets, but neither seemed as bad as Troy. He noticed the clerk that had waited on them reach below the counter and Ryan desperately hoped that it was a silent alarm.

As the armed men started shouting orders, he pulled his attention back down to Troy. Managing a small smile, he said, "You're going to be okay."

Troy took a moment to get his breath. "R-Ryan."

His voice was so quiet that Ryan had to lean down to hear him. "Yeah?"

"I-I want you t-to do something f-for me."

"Anything, Troy, you name it." Ryan kept his voice low, so as not to drag attention to them, but he made sure that Troy could hear him.

"You h-have to….give Gabriella h-her necklace."

Ryan shook his head immediately. "No, man, you give it to her. She's your wife."

Troy gasped for breath and then let out a sigh. "I-I don't…." he paused, "I don't t-think I'm gonna m-make it."

Ryan tried to hold back the tears that he felt surfacing in his eyes. He couldn't cry. He wasn't going to.

Before he could speak, Troy continued. "And, R-Ryan."

"Yeah?" he said, doing his best to keep his voice even.

"Promise me t-that you'll t-take care of h-her for m-me."

Ryan shook his head again. "Troy, you're-"

Troy reached for Ryan's arm, clasping it tightly. "P-Promise me, Ryan."

The tone of his voice pleaded for Ryan to tell him what he wanted to hear, but Ryan didn't want to even think that Troy would die. He hesitated, but the look in Troy's eyes made Ryan nod and say, "I promise, Troy."

Troy released another sigh, relief obvious in his expression. A few minutes later he couldn't seem to catch his breath. Ryan could tell that he was fighting against leaving his life behind, but they both knew he was losing. Troy managed to say one more thing, to tell Gabriella that he loved her. Then his breath continued to grow shallower until it was no longer there at all. Ryan felt his tears breaking loose and he slowly slid Troy's eyelids closed. He was gone.

Ryan was grateful when he heard sirens in the distance, but pain filled his heart, they were too late. Troy had been killed in cold blood and the assailant didn't even seem to care. He was too busy being angry about the sirens that were growing closer and louder.

The next minutes passed in a blur. He noticed the two men run out of the store, but he just sat there. The police cars and ambulances stopped outside, but he didn't make any move to get up or say a word to anyone. One of his best friends had just died and the only thing he could think about was, _how am I going to tell Gabriella?_

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Gabriella glanced at her watch. She had thought that Troy would have been home by then. She pushed aside the piece of worry drifted through her brain. Troy was fine. Any minute now, she knew that he would walk right through the door with a bright smile spread across his face. They would share a kiss and she would completely forget about being worried about him. Gabriella nodded, trying to convince herself.

The doorbell rang, causing Gabriella's eyebrows to furrow. She wasn't expecting anyone and Troy wouldn't be ringing the doorbell at his own house. Shrugging, she headed towards the door. She wrapped her fingers around the cool medal of the door handle and pulled the large wooded door open. A smile pulled at her lips when she caught sight of Ryan standing on the other side, but it quickly faded. "Ryan? What's wrong?" her heart sped up as she took in his disheveled appearance. His face was pale, his eyes watery, but the thing that caught her eye was the small patch of red on his otherwise light blue shirt. She looked over her shoulder, desperately hoping to see her husband coming up behind Ryan, but all she could see was Ryan's empty car and the sprinkles of snow that were just beginning to fall. "W-Where's Troy?" she barely even recognized her own voice. It sounded squeaky and unsure.

Ryan took off his hat and rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead. "There's something I have to tell you." Ryan looked in every direction, but at her. With trembling fingers he held his hat in both hands, shifting from foot to foot unsteadily. For what seemed liked hours, he didn't continue and the pause made Gabriella's heart race even more. But, when he did finish, she felt her heart almost stop. "Troy's dead, Gabriella."

It felt as though someone had just kicked her in the gut. She inhaled sharply and stepped away from Ryan. "What?" her voice was deathly quiet as she stared at the man in front of her, praying that she had heard him wrong.

A tear slid down Ryan's cheek and he slowly spoke again. "These two guys came into the jewelry store, bullets flying….." he smoothed his voice, trying to be strong for Gabriella's sake. "Troy didn't make it."

Gabriella shook her head quickly. "No, it's not true," she swatted at the tears in her eyes. "It's not!" She reached toward a hook on the wall and grabbed her keys and a jacket.

As she tried to brush past Ryan, he caught her arm. "What are you doing?"

"I have to find him, prove to you that he's okay."

The tone in her voice showed that she was desperate to find her husband perfectly all right and unharmed, but Ryan knew what he was talking about. He had been there.

The hurt look in Gabriella's eyes broke his heart and he wished that he could tell her that Troy was okay, that he had survived. But the truth was that he hadn't. "I-I'm sorry, Gabriella, but Troy really is gone."

"No, he isn't," she yelled, trying to jerk her arm from his grasp. "Now let me go, I have to find him."

Ryan wouldn't release her arm. "I was there, Gabriella. He died in my arms."

"No!"

Ryan pulled her towards him, trying to comfort her, but she fought against him. Hitting her fists against his chest, yelling at him to let her go, that she had to find Troy. But Ryan held onto her until she quit fighting and her screams turned into sobs, soaking his shirt. As he wrapped his arms around her, he could no longer keep his own tears at bay. They flooded from his eyes and fell into Gabriella's dark hair, but she didn't notice.

As they stood on the front porch of the house, grieving over the loss of Troy, time seemed to stand still. For a few moments it felt as though the world was grieving with them.

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**PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**LanaLang79**


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two:**

Taylor pushed open the door that led to the master bedroom and found Gabriella sitting at the end of the bed. Her friend wore a sleeveless, black dress that stopped just past her knees. The dark gray half-sweater that she wore overtop was one that Taylor had given her when they were seniors in high school, but the sweater still seemed to fit the way it had then. It didn't look like Gabriella had done much with her hair, but Taylor couldn't really blame her.

Stepping inside the room, she slowly found her voice. "Ready?"

Gabriella looked up and Taylor felt tears gathering in her eyes. Her friend's face was as pale as the white sheets that lined the bed she sat on and there were circles almost the color of coal resting beneath her dark brown eyes. It looked like Gabriella hadn't slept a wink since Troy had died three days earlier.

Gabriella gave a hesitant nod in answer to Taylor's question, but didn't make a move to get up.

With a sad but reassuring smile, Taylor reached for the other girl's hand. When Gabriella locked hands with her, Taylor gave it a gentle squeeze and helped her stand. "You're strong, Gabby. I know you'll get through this."

Gabriella didn't answer her and Taylor wasn't sure if that was because she couldn't find her voice or if she just didn't believe her. Studying her friend, she guessed that it was both.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, both Ryan and Chad waited for them. They were both dressed in black suits that any other day Taylor would have said they looked dashing in, but today it wouldn't seem right to make a comment like that.

Ryan stepped forward, his eyes directed at Gabriella. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he said quietly.

Gabriella met his gaze and gave a slow nod. Ryan put his hand on her elbow and steered her into the living room. "There's…." he paused and took a deep breath. "There's something I need to give you." His trembling hand reached into his jacket and searched for a moment, before he pulled it back out. As he opened the small jewelry box, Gabriella's breath caught. "This is from Troy, Gabriella. He…." he blinked away the tears that threatened to spill. "He bought it for you the day he died."

Gabriella stared at it for a long time before she brought up a shaking hand. Her fingertips brushed against the pearl and a lone tear slipped down her ashen cheek.

"D-Do you want me to help you put it on?" he asked after giving her a minute to study the necklace.

A nod. Ryan sighed. She hadn't spoken one word to any of her friends since the day her husband died. How he longed to hear his friend teasing Troy about something he had done, to see them both smile and laugh. Ryan had always put them on the pedestal of perfect couple, but now Troy was gone and Gabriella was alone, her heart shattered into a million pieces.

Ryan lifted the necklaces from its box and moved to stand behind Gabriella. With trembling fingers he clasped the gold chain behind her neck. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and was about to say something when he thought he heard her voice. Turning her around to face him, he said, "What?"

Gabriella's eyes were downcast, but she slowly brought her gaze up to meet his. "Did…." She paused, taking a shaky breath. "Did h-he say anything?" her voice was lower than a whisper and Ryan had to listen close to catch her words.

Gathering himself, he gave her a nod. "Yes."

Gabriella swallowed hard. "W-What?"

Ryan hesitated, trying to decide what all to tell her. He wasn't sure if she'd like the idea of Troy telling him to take care of her, so he decided to leave that part out, for now. "He-" the words caught in his throat. "H-He wanted me to tell you that he loved you."

Gabriella's tears came and she choked them out in a sob. "I just don't understand, Ryan," she cried as he gathered her in his arms. "I don't understand."

Ryan didn't know what to say. He didn't understand either. He kept asking himself if there was something he could have done that would have saved Troy's life. Or what would have happened if the police would have gotten there five minutes sooner? Would Troy and Gabriella be together right now? Sighing, he rested his chin on the top of her head. "I know."

After a few more minutes he pulled back and handed her the handkerchief he had stuffed into his suit pocket. "Are you ready?"

Gabriella wiped her eyes and then seemed to slip back into silence. She nodded at him.

Ryan put a hand on her arm. "Okay then. We'd better get going."

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It was a dreary day in Albuquerque. The skies were gray and filled with clouds that threatened to spill rain at any moment. Being in the southern part of the United States, the weather wasn't extremely cold, but it was still chilly as Troy's friends and family gathered around his gravesite. Mr. Bolton held an arm around his wife, who seemed to be shaking like a leaf as she stared at her son's coffin. Taylor comforted Chad, who was crying over the loss of the man who had been like his brother all of his life. Kelsi, Jason, Zeke, Martha, and several of the other wildcats stood in a line at one side of the group. Ryan stood with one arm wrapped around his twin's shoulders and his other hand resting on the small of Gabriella's back. As Ryan watched the coffin being lowered into the ground, he recalled some of Troy's last words. _Promise me that you'll take care of her for me. _Ryan suddenly felt overwhelmed at the promise he had made to his dying friend. How was he supposed to keep that promise? Would Gabriella let him take care of her? His gaze drifted to the brunette who stood at his side. She looked so fragile; like if the wind blew too hard she might break. Her arms were wrapped protectively across her waist and her head tilted to one side as she watched her husband being lowered into the cold, hard ground. Underneath her gray, woolen coat, she shivered. Ryan wasn't sure if it was because she was actually cold or if it was just her reaction to seeing Troy's body being buried, so he pulled her a little closer to him, giving her warmth and comfort all at the same time.

On his other side, Sharpay leaned her head against his shoulder and sniffled. His twin had always been the drama queen in high school, but after graduating she had softened, befriending most of the wildcats in the process. As soon as Ryan had contacted her about Troy's death, she had taken a flight out of New York so that she could be home for the funeral. He had been surprised that she hadn't brought Marc, knowing that he and his sister has gotten pretty serious. When Ryan had asked Sharpay about it, she had simply told him that she didn't want all of her friends to meet him under these circumstances. Ryan had agreed with her.

When the service was over, Sharpay walked over to talk with some of their friends, leaving Ryan with Gabriella. A few people came over to them and gave her their condolences, but after a few minutes, they were left alone. Gabriella tugged on his suit coat to get his attention and he glanced down at her. "Yeah?"

She covered her stomach with one hand and held on to his arm with the other. "I-I don't feel so good, Ryan," she said, her voice weak.

His eyes filled with concern. "Are you gonna be sick?"

"That's what it f-feels like."

Ryan looked around at all of the people that were still mingling by the gravesite and then his eyes locked with Gabriella's. "Do you want me to take you home?"

She merely nodded, afraid that if she tried to speak, she might lose the little that she had eaten in the last 72 hours.

Ryan stopped only to tell Sharpay where he was going and then he walked her over to his car. Opening the passenger's door for her, he waited until she was seated and then hurried to his side of the vehicle.

It took only a little more than five minutes to reach the house and when they did, Gabriella didn't wait for Ryan to open her door for her. She threw it open and rushed inside the house.

Ryan followed quickly just in case she might need him. When he stepped inside the house, Gabriella was no where to be seen, but it wasn't too hard for him to guess where she had gone. He silently waited outside the closed bathroom door, frowning at how sick she was. Ryan desperately hoped that there wasn't anything seriously wrong with her. He reassured himself that it was probably just because she hadn't eaten much for the last few days.

After about half an hour, she emerged looking even paler than she had at the funeral. He furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Are you okay?"

Gabriella hesitated as if considering telling him something, but then she just shook her head. "I'll be fine."

He followed her to the living room where she collapsed onto the couch. "Do you need anything?"

She looked as though she was gonna shake her head again, but then she rested her hand on her stomach and said, "Maybe some soup…..if you don't mind."

Ryan offered her a small smile and nodded. "Coming right up."

He searched the kitchen cupboards until he found a can of chicken noodle soup, then he quickly prepared it, thankful that Gabriella was actually hungry for something. But, when he returned to the living room with the bowl, she was laying down, fast asleep. He set the soup on the coffee table and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch, gently blanketing it over her small form. Taking the bowl back to the kitchen, he slid it in the microwave so that he could reheat it for her later, assuming she would still want it.

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Gabriella's eyes fluttered open and she instantly felt a weight on her body that hadn't been there when she had fallen asleep. Looking down, she realized that there was a blanket covering her. She scanned the room and found Ryan sitting in the recliner, his head rolled to one side as he slept. Surprisingly, she felt a small smile crease her lips and she tossed her blanket over Ryan like he must have done for her. Gabriella felt her stomach growl, begging her to give it some food. She began to walk towards the kitchen, rubbing her abdomen. "Are you hungry in there, little one?" she whispered, speaking to her unborn child for the first time. "Mommy is gonna have to find that soup Ryan made, so she can feed you." After looking through the fridge and in the oven, she finally found it in the microwave. She set it for a minute and a half and got herself a glass of milk while it heated up.

As she ate, she thought about her baby. She hadn't told a soul about her pregnancy because she had wanted Troy to be the first to know and she had decided to wait until Christmas to tell even him. Christmas. Just three days ago she had been thinking that this would be the perfect Christmas. Now she knew that it would probably be the worst one that she had ever had. She would probably be spending the holiday with her mother now. It wasn't that she didn't like being with her mother on Christmas, she had just been looking forward to this particular Christmas with her husband, the man she had loved.

Gabriella sighed. She was tired of asking, _why him?_ She just wanted everything to be okay again.

Not feeling very hungry, she almost pushed away the rest of her soup, but then she thought of her baby. Even if she didn't have an appetite, it couldn't be very good to keep nutrients from her body. Gabriella had already lost her husband, she wasn't about to lose her baby too.

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**I hope that you all had a very merry Christmas!! And I'd like to wish you all a happy new year!! **

**PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**LanaLang79**


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three:**

The days leading up to Christmas quickly flew by, throwing Gabriella even deeper into depression. Taylor usually called a couple times a day, but she just let it ring and listened to the message as it played out on the machine. The only person that she had really spoken to since the funeral was Ryan. She would be avoiding him too, but he had been coming over to the house every single day and making sure that she ate, drank, and slept. It was as if he had taken it upon himself to make sure she survived.

Glancing at the clock, she let out a sigh. If she wasn't out of bed when Ryan arrived at eleven, she would definitely be getting an earful. Just as she sat up, a wave of nausea hit her. She hurried to the bathroom and hovered over the toilet. Gabriella had been able to hide her morning sickness from Ryan so far, but between the fact that it was getting worse and her stomach was starting to show, she knew that she would have to tell him soon. The only reason that she hadn't said anything about her pregnancy yet was because she didn't want to see the pity in Ryan's eyes. Sure she wanted reassurance that everything would be okay, but not pity. If he gave her pity like everyone else had done since Troy died, she knew that she wouldn't be able to stand being around him anymore. And she couldn't afford that. If she pushed Ryan out of her life, she wasn't sure that she could convince herself to eat. And if she didn't eat, she might lose the baby.

Gabriella was still in the bathroom when she heard a knock downstairs. Frowning, she reached over and closed the bathroom door. A few minutes later, footsteps echoed in the hallway.

"Gabriella?" came Ryan's concerned voice.

"I'm in here," she called, not wanting to worry the poor guy, but dreading the fact that he would get suspicious when he found her sick like she had been the day of the funeral.

Ryan walked closer to the door. "Are you okay?"

Gabriella was about to respond when another wave of nausea hit her and she turned to the toiler, letting it all out.

"Are you sick again?"

Gabriella felt tears in her eyes. It should have been Troy standing on the other side of the door asking if she was okay. She lifted her hand and brushed her fingers over the pearl hanging around her neck. Because the necklace was the last thing that Troy had gotten her before he had died, she treasured it more than anything else she owned.

"Gabriella, please answer me."

Ryan's voice was laced with worry, making Gabriella feel guilty. Her condition was nothing for him to worry about, it was normal when you were pregnant, but of course he didn't know she was pregnant. Sighing, she knew that she should tell him. "I'll be out in a minute," she said quickly, before standing. She rinsed out her mouth and flushed the toilet. When she pulled open the door, she saw relief on Ryan's face.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

Gabriella nodded slowly. "I…." she swallowed hard and began walking towards the stairs. "I need t-to tell you something."

Ryan followed her downstairs and into the living room. When she stopped at the Christmas tree, she glanced over her shoulder at him and noticed the confused expression on his face. Pulling a big present from under the tree, she turned and handed it to him. "Open this." She laced her hands together to hide their obvious trembling. "It will explain everything."

Ryan hesitated, especially when he saw the nametag stuck to the front of it. _To: Troy, From: Gabby_. Gabby. Troy was one of the few people who had used the nickname on her.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, his eyes still resting on the tag.

Gabriella nodded. "Yes."

After a minute, Ryan nodded and carefully ripped open the Christmas themed paper. The two foot box was revealed and he stared at it quizzically. "A sweeper?"

The ghost of a smile slipped onto Gabriella's face as she watched him tilt his head. "You have to open it, Ryan."

Ryan blushed slightly. "Oh, right." He pulled up the packing tape that was holding the box closed and then lifted the flaps. He was greeted by about a thousand pieces of tissue paper. "I see you're a big fan of tissue paper," he said, obviously trying to keep the mood light.

Gabriella sat down in the chair across from him and her gaze rested in her lap. She didn't want to see how he reacted when he read the piece of paper hidden at the bottom. Would his light colored eyes fill with pity? Would he wonder why she hadn't said anything sooner? Tissue paper rustled as he pulled one sheet after another out of the box. When she heard it stop, she knew that he would soon be reading the words that she had meant for her husband.

Ryan reached into the box and picked up the slip of white paper at the bottom. As his eyes scanned the two words written on it, his heart just about stopped. He raised his eyes to look at his friend. Her shoulders were slumped as if she had just been defeated by something and her hands shook as they lay in her lap. He swallowed hard. "Gabriella." His voice was so soft that for a minute he thought he hadn't said it, but then she lifted her head. "I….." he shook his head. "I don't know what to say."

Gabriella studied his expression and the sad look in his eyes, but she didn't find any pity. She was grateful for that. "I-I just thought that you should know." She paused. "I didn't want you to be too worried if you found me sick a lot."

Ryan cleared his throat, trying to stay strong for her sake. "So, Troy didn't know."

Gabriella shook her head. "No."

Ryan again remembered the words that Troy had spoken to him. _Promise me that you'll take care of her for me._ What would Troy have said to him if he had known that his wife was pregnant? Would he have had a plan for his family? Now that Ryan knew that Gabriella was expecting a baby, he grew even more worried about how he was supposed take care of her. Taking a deep breath, he went over to kneel in front of Gabriella's chair. He reached for her hand and gave it a short squeeze. "We'll find a way to get through this, Gabriella."

Gabriella was quiet for a long moment, but then she brought her gaze to his. "Why are you doing this, Ryan?"

Ryan's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It's like you've taken it upon yourself to be my personal savior."

She tilted her head, a lock of her dark hair falling in her face. Ryan dared not to push it back behind her ear, the gesture seeming to intimate. Instead he pulled his hand away from hers and looked away, trying to figure out how to answer her question. Should he tell her what Troy had said the day he died?

"Ryan, why aren't you saying anything?" Gabriella's voice was full of suspicion.

Ryan didn't want her to think that he had an ulterior motive, but he really wasn't sure how to tell her that her husband had assigned him the job of her caretaker. "I…Troy…" he stuttered over his words, feeling tears gathering in his eyes.

Gabriella put her hand on his shoulder. "Troy what?"

Ryan broke the contact and pushed to his feet, walking a couple feet away to look out the window.

"Ryan, what aren't you telling me?"

Ryan felt tears spilling from his eyes as he heard Gabriella's voice breaking. He took another minute to calm himself and then he quietly whispered, "I'm only doing what Troy asked me to."

Gabriella didn't know if she had heard him correctly, so she got up to walk closer to him. "What?"

Ryan's shoulders shook slightly, his jaw clenching as he tried to hold in his tears. "When you asked if Troy said anything before he died I didn't tell you everything."

"You didn't?"

Ryan shook his head. "No." he paused for another long moment and then continued, keeping his eyes in the direction of the window. "Shortly before Troy died….h-he asked me to take c-care of you."

Gabriella didn't know what to think of this new information. Should she be glad that her husband had wanted her to be taken care of or should she be upset that he had felt like she couldn't take care of herself?

In front of her, Ryan leaned his head against the window as he began to cry. Gabriella hadn't seen him cry once since Troy had died and she knew why. He had wanted to be strong for her. She admired him for that, but now as she watched him break down, she wanted to be strong for him. Brushing her own tears away, she wrapped her arms around his waist. He returned the hug and she stretched onto her tiptoes to whisper, "Thank you," in his ear.

He pulled back slightly. "For what?"

"Everything," Gabriella said simply. She slowly laid her head on his shoulder, feeling as though she was absorbing some of his strength. "Troy would have been proud to have you as his friend……and so am I."

Ryan smiled through his tears. "I'm just keeping my promise."

"And I appreciate that."

They were both silent for a few minutes and then Ryan stepped in the direction of the Christmas tree. "So, what are you going to do with the rest?" he asked, motioning towards the presents.

"I haven't decided yet." Gabriella sat down on the arm of the couch. "You know, this Christmas was supposed to be so perfect." Her hand covered her stomach, a sad expression passing across her face. "It all changed so quickly."

Ryan looked over his shoulder at her. "Troy would have been so happy about the baby."

Gabriella nodded. "I know. I wish I would have gotten the chance to tell him." She stared at the slip of paper that now rested on the coffee table, trying to ignore the fact that it should still be wrapped in the box waiting to be opened by Troy.

* * *

Ryan slowly sank beneath the covers of his full sized bed. He didn't think that he would be getting much sleep, but he figured that he might as well try. Gabriella pregnant? That thought made his heart ache even more for his friend. How must she be feeling right now? Lost, scared, helpless……alone. He had to figure out the best way to take care of her. Gabriella was the kind of person that would be able to handle single parenthood, but so close to Troy's death? Would she even be thinking straight enough to take care of the baby while it was still in her? Sighing, he tossed and turned, not being able to come up with a good plan. 

After being restless for more than three hours, he pushed himself to a sitting position and ran a hand through his messy hair. There was no way that he would be able to get a lot of sleep, not with the way that his mind was churning. Deciding to get something to drink, he headed for the kitchen. His one-story apartment was small, but nice and cozy for a bachelor like himself. If he ever got married he would want a bigger home, but he didn't really see marriage anywhere in his near future.

As Ryan reached into the cupboard for a cup, a thought suddenly hit him. Maybe that was how he could take care of Gabriella like he had promised Troy. He could marry her. That thought flew out of his head just about as fast as it had flown in. There was no way that he could marry Gabriella for convenience. He would feel as if he was taking advantage of her if he were to make such a proposition. But why would he feel something like that? It wasn't like he had ever really cared for Gabriella in a romantic sense, had he?

Ryan shook his head. Of course he hadn't. She was like his best friend, just like Troy had been. Ryan had been happy for them all of the years that they had been together. But, if that was true, why did his heartbeat speed up every time that the young brunette came into view? Surely it was just because she was pretty. Didn't every single man wish to have such a beautiful woman in his life?

As Ryan took a sip of his orange juice, he tried convincing himself that his only feelings for Gabriella were friendly ones, but a little voice in the back of his head kept on saying otherwise.

* * *

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